This invention relates generally to water resistant peelable protective coating compositions, and, more specifically, to water and solvent based, polymeric coating compositions which form a protective and/or decorative coating with the ability to adhere to a variety of porous, solid, or liquid substrates, including automotive paints, metals, glass, plastics, vinyl, cloth, paper, asphalt, concrete, porcelain, ceramics, and solutions of water and/or oil, etc. The coatings may be either a flat film on the substrate, or a three-dimensional expandable foamy coating whereby the dimensions of the foamy coating can be controlled by the formulation and applicator to foam an expandable cord. The coating may be formulated for temporary or long-term protection.
A demand exists for a coating composition suitable for the temporary protection of the surface of an article through the depositing on the surface of a coating which can be subsequently be easily removed, and more specifically, peeled off, from the surface without altering the surface.
For example, in the case of painted or polished metal manufactured articles such as automobiles, a need exists for such a coating composition to protect the automobile against weathering, contamination from the atmosphere, chemical attack or accidental damage during handling. Moreover, often the paint on the front end of a motor vehicle or around the outer edges of the fenders is chipped or otherwise damaged by rocks or other small hard objects flying from the road. The paint also becomes unpleasantly dirty after driving the vehicle during warm weather due to insects colliding with portions of the auto body or even due to bird droppings. If dead bugs and bird droppings are left to remain on the paint for a prolonged period of time, permanent stain marks may appear even after cleaning of the automotive body surface. The vehicle""s body surface may also be scratched by pets, during delivery from the dealership, or even during transportation and storage from shipping.
A need also exists for a temporary, peelable coating for the purpose of decoration, either seasonal or occasional, which is easily applied and removed to items such as windows, doors, walls, paper boards, etc. Is this aspect, a three-dimensional coating film is more desirable to the consumers/users since it offers better visibility and greater design possibilities.
There is also a need for a peelable protective coating which can applied to a painted surface, or coated surface such as chrome or chrome plated plastic, to prevent damage to the paint.
This invention relates generally to water resistant peelable protective and decorative clear, translucent, reflective, phosphorescent, or pigmented coating composition and, more specifically, to water and solvent based, polymeric coating compositions which form a protective and/or decorative coating on a variety of substrates, including automotive paints, metals, plastics, glass, cloth, paper, asphalt, concrete, porcelain, and ceramics. The coating may be formulated for temporary or long term protection, and may be either flat or foamy looking. The invention also relates generally to water based and solvent based coating composition and their method of application by brush, roll, squeeze tube, crayon, marker, ink pen, foam, jell, paste, spraying, dipping, and as an aerosol. The coating can be applied in a single or multiple layers which adhere to one another without bleeding together. The layers may be separated from one another upon drying enabling the user to position cords or strands of the coating composition for decorative purposes or portraying a written or graphic message; however, over several hours the coating layers will tend to adhere and bond to one another. The coating may be applied using an aerosol filled applicator with a tube or spout of a selected length and width to control the expansion of the foam creating a strand or cord of uniform width and depth. The resulting strand or cord will generally form a smooth sealed exterior skin enclosing a porous interior providing structural integrity thereto.
The present invention provides a decorative, scratch resistant means for protecting the paint, glass, plastic, or metal portions of automotive vehicles during storage and shipping, and against road hazards, debris, bugs, etc. depending upon the particular embodiment selected imparting a tough resistant film characteristic or more elastic film characteristic. The peelable coating may also be formulated to be an excellent insulating material against scratch or damage to individual parts and may used as packaging material to spray or paint particular parts, such as automotive parts or military equipment prior to shipping.
The present invention provides a protective peelable coating which can be applied to a painted or coated surface of a motor vehicle such as an automobile, airplane, boat, snowmobile, motorcycle, or other vehicle forming a removable coating which can be peeled away leaving a fresh paint surface in a condition at least as good as before application of the removable coating.
Moreover, removal of the film often removes dirt and contaminants covering the painted surface. The present invention may also be utilized as a removable protective coating for transporting and storing tools and equipment and applied to the bottom surface of snow and water skis, surfboards, snow boards, and other sporting accessories which require a smooth slick surface for optimum performance. A clear and colorless, tinted, or pigmented coating of up to 100 miles and generally of from about 5 to 50 mils and preferably from 20 to 40 mils and most preferably of about 30 mils may be applied to the goods to be protected in the form of an expandable foam of a particular width and depth depending upon the application. Moreover, logos, writing and other graphic designs may be formed by and/or imprinted on the coatings using paint, ink, dye, or the like, and removed from the substrate by peeling the coating from the substrate surface. For example, an advertisement displayed on an automobile windshied or even the painted portions of the auto. It is also contemplated that multiple layer of coatings may be applied providing means to decorate an object. It is contemplated that an effective amount of micro beads or small glass spheres or other sphericals or particles composed of other materials may be added to the formulation to aid in the release of the coating and may be used alone or in combination with the chemical release agents set forth hereafter.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a clear, translucent, pigmented, dyed, tinted, or illuminative coating for application to a wet or dry metal, plastic, glass, cloth, ceramic, clay, fiber, concrete, brick, rock, cinder block, paper, film, or wood surface, in addition to application directly onto a liquid substrate for the expandable composition can formulated to float.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a peelable coating in which metal flake, powder, or other decorative particles can be embedded throughout.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a peelable coating which can be removably placed upon a solid substrate such as paints, metals, plastics, concrete, natural and synthetic elastomers, and ceramics and used as a means of removably supporting another substrate such as a metal foil, a plastic film, styrofoam, foam product, paper, or one or more additional layers of peelable coating forming a sandwich therewith.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a water based or solvent based peelable coating for use on metal, plastic, glass, paper, or wood surfaces having existing protective coatings of paint, varnish, film, without damaging the existing protective coatings.
It is another object of the present invention to produce a peelable coating which does not damage the surface.
It is yet another object of the present invention to produce a protective coating which will not damage paint, chrome, plastic, fiberglass, or other substrate to be coated therewith.
It is another object of the present invention to produce a coating which is easily to apply as a liquid, foam, jell, paste, semi-solid, or aerosol.
It is another object of the invention to provide a coating embodiment having a foamy characteristic providing a three-dimensional aspect to the peelable coating so that the coating can be seen from an angle yet minimize the amount of pigment and other effective components in the formulation. And the three-dimensional aspect adds to the design possibilities for the consumers/users.
It is another object of the foamy coating embodiment to be applied to surfaces without complicated apparatus.
It is yet another object of the foamy coating embodiment to include a propellant so that the coating can be sprayed from a can as an aerosol.
It is yet another object of the foamy coating embodiment to be applied through an extension tube to control the size and shape of the coating, and offer more structural design to the three-dimensional foams.
It is yet another object of the foamy coating embodiment to be applied at ambient temperature and dry on a surface (becomes non-tacky) within about 5 minutes of application and become peelable from the surface within an hour of the application.
The foregoing objects are accomplished by providing a flat-film peelable coating composition comprising an aqueous polyurethane dispersion in an effective amount ranging of up to 95 percent by weight and generally from between 60 to 95 percent by weight, and more preferably from about 80 to 90 percent by weight; in an effective amount of a solvent in an effective range of up to 50 percent by weight and generally from between about 5 to 30 percent by weight; and a release agent in an effective amount of up to 10 percent by weight and generally ranging from between about 0.1 to 5.0 percent by weight can be used to provide a peelable film having a thickness of up to about 80 mils and preferably from about 20 to 40 mils. Effective amounts of other components such as pigments for color and stability such as titanium dioxide and organic pigments, thickening agents such as acrylic polymers, surfactants such as silicone surfactants, and antifoaming agents, in effective amounts up to 10 percent by weight and preferably from about 0.01 to 5.0 percent by weight, may also be utilized in with the aqueous polyurethane dispersion.
The resulting peelable coating exhibits excellent toughness, gloss, elasticity, resiliency, flexibility, abrasion resistance, and adhesion. It is resistant to impact, weathering, acids, and alkalies. It is a coating which is impervious to water, and is resistant to most of the chemical solvents. It may be applied by brush, roll, spray, extrusion, or dipping.
The foam-type peelable coating composition comprises an aqueous polyurethane dispersion between 75 to 98 percent by weight, more preferably 85 to 92 percent by weight, a release agent of 0.1 to 5 percent by weight, more preferably 2 to 3 percent by weight, a propellant between 5 to 20 percent by weight, and other components such as surfactants, pigments, thickening agents, and anti-skinning agents in effective amounts ranging from 0 to 10 percent by weight. It provides a three-dimensional peelable coating with thickness ranging from 0.1 to 1 inch, more preferably 0.25 to 0.5 inch. The foamy coating embodiment having a glossy or semi-glossy surface preferably utilizes an effective amount of resin content of a polyurethane dispersion generally of 25 percent or more and preferably of about 40 percent or more of solids in order to prevent unwanted porosity and prevent collapse of the foam upon application. Moreover, the three-dimensional aspect of the preferred embodiment is preserved by using a polyurethane dispersion of about 40 percent solids or greater, producing a coating having structural integrity from the moment of application to days and weeks after the application of the coating to the substrate.